Freight Agent QCS Expects a Record Year 2018

Quick Cargo Services (QCS) President Dieter Haltmayer is in a euphoric mood these days due to his company’s 2017 financial results catapulting them to new heights. Particularly air
freight exports soared during the last twelve months, reaching unprecedented levels.

QCS is a family-run company, documented in this picture: Dieter Haltmayer, his children Stephan, Heidi and Jennifer (from left to right) – courtesy: QCS

And that’s not the end of the line. “We’ve paved the way for further business growth in 2018 as the outcome of a change in sales strategy,” announces the founder of the family-run forwarding
agent, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Relying on routing orders up to now, QCS has meanwhile implemented a dedicated sales team consisting of 12 route managers, tailored to the needs of so
far underserved markets, be it in air or ocean freight.

Shift of attitude needed
The team members are based at several of the 17 stations run by the agent in Germany, the UK, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland and in the Netherlands. Each route manager, is responsible for the
agent’s in his designed territory, he reports to Frankfurt headquarters where Dieter’s son Stephan coordinates the entire activities of the sales team. “We badly need more qualified staff to
enable us to increase the overseas sales.

Superior German product quality benefits QCS
According to QCS’s senior executive, revenues soared by 23 percent in 2017, reaching €55 million. Main driver were both air freight and ocean freight exports, growing by 15 percent (air) and even
18 percent respectively. In contrast, imports increased only moderately, shown by a plus of 8.7 percent in air cargo and rather meager 2.6 percent in sea freight.
Dieter mentions a simple fact why the demand for products originating in Germany was burgeoning in 2017 and is expected to keep on doing so in the course of the new year: “The quality of most
goods produced by German enterprises has been excellent up to now and continues to be superior to products coming from the U.S. or China despite market conditions that tend to get increasingly
competitive.”
Hence, for him it’s anything but a miracle that QCS’s transports to China, one of the agent’s main markets, made a huge leap forward last year, particularly in air freight.
He adds to this that international networks like the 1999 established China Cargo Alliance, mainly initiated by QCS to withstand the buying power of the global top ten agents has proven extremely
beneficial for most of the club members, stimulating their sales.
Herr Haltmayer says that the leap in growth accounts particularly for the Shanghai and Beijing trade lanes and – much to the delight of QCS – was coupled with rate increases, upping 2017 revenues
considerably.

Flies in the ointment
However, no matter how pleased Dieter is with the results achieved last year, it would contradict his entrepreneurial nature if he wouldn’t spot some flies in the ointment. The payment morals get
poorer and poorer by an increasing number of QCS clients, he states, a situation which outrages him. “Handling this is getting from bad to worse.”
After all, freight rates have to be paid on the spot to all CASS airlines; so are taxes and many other running expenses, particularly the monthly salaries for QCS’s 201 employees. The
deteriorating payment behavior can pull the rug out from under the feet of a midsized firm, he warns.

Dieter slows down
Needless to say that this pessimistic outlook of an impending financial drought QCS might face sooner or later, is clearly contrasting the forwarding agent’s 2017 performance and achieved gross
profits, climbing 13.66 percent.
On the sidelines of Dieter’s meeting with CargoForwarder Global the meanwhile 82 year-old announced that he will reduce his professional commitments in 2018. He can do this with inner serenity
and tranquility. This because his succession has long been resolved with son and CEO Stephan taking over full responsibility at QCS. Stephan is supported and advised by his two sisters Heidi and
Jennifer. And with grand seigneur Dieter’s nephew Nico lining up, the third Haltmayer generation is appearing on the QCS stage.